


Making No Compromise

by RomeoandAntoinette



Category: Persona 4
Genre: Creepy fans ruin all the fun, Established Relationship, Future Fic, Inspired by Music, M/M, P5 Mention, Post-Canon, Souyo Week 2019, Yosuke punches a creepy old man, blood mention, mild violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-28
Updated: 2019-05-28
Packaged: 2020-03-20 16:59:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,651
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18996769
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RomeoandAntoinette/pseuds/RomeoandAntoinette
Summary: The Investigation Team meets up in Yasoinaba in 2019 to celebrate Rise's latest music tour. However, when a creepy ensemble of Risette fans corners Yosuke in a back alley and tries to pose an ultimatum that threatens the safety of his friends, Yosuke takes matters into his own hands. As Yu tends to his boyfriend's wounds, but he can't help but wonder why his partner would put himself in danger so recklessly. For Yosuke, the answer is obvious. [Souyo Week 2019, Day 1]





	Making No Compromise

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Souyo Week 2019! The prompt for Day 1 was "Soulmates or Pick a Song from the P4 Soundtrack." T chose to choose a song, and the one I picked was "Best Friends" from P4: Arena! Kind of a weird choice, but one of the lines stuck with me as being very fitting material for Yu and Yosuke's' relationship. I think you can guess which one. Also, the title of the song is literally "Best Friends."
> 
> Come one. That's just too perfect, haha!
> 
> I hope you enjoy this story!

It had been a long time since the Investigation Team had stayed out past dark together.

In fact, it had been so long that the tight-knit group really couldn’t call themselves the “Investigation Team” anymore. Their crime-solving days from high school were long gone, but the group of friends remained so close that they met back up more times during the year than some families did.

The group used any occasion to meet up, but the latest reason was an incredibly special one that none of them could argue the gravity of.

Rise’s newest album “Sapphire” had sparked a wildfire of interest with Tokyo listeners, and as a result, her concert debut was immediately scheduled and Rise was booked at venues across every inch of Japan.

Of course, that also included a special stop in the quaint town of Yasoinaba.

The first thing the idol did after signing all the paperwork was drop a message in the team’s group chat about meeting up again.

The response had been as positive as it was immediate.

Yu and Yosuke traveled all the way from their apartment in Tokyo for the occasion, and Naoto even made a beeline back to the small town after wrapping up her last case to celebrate her friend’s big accomplishment. Yukiko, Chie, Teddie, and Kanji had remained in town after graduation, so it was easy for the three of them to get ready for their friends’ arrival and even prepare rooms at the still-infamous Amagi Inn. With Yukiko now heading the inn’s operations more than ever, it was easy for her to literally pull the accommodations together with her usual poise and grace.

The moment Rise arrived in Inaba via private SUV, the team immediately met up for a grand celebration. She even offered to treat her entire posse at their favorite dinnertime destination in the city: the Aiya Chinese Restaurant.

“Woohoo!” Chie cheered as she cracked the cap off a frosted bottle of an amber ale and hoisted it high above her head. “Cheers to Rise-chan! In honor of what’s going to be the best 2019 tour of all time!”

Everyone joined in the toast by raising their drinks high into the air and clicking them loudly overhead. The thunderous cheer practically shook the tiny restaurant off its foundation.

The enthusiastic display of merriment also resulted in an explosion of liquid washing of the brims of their glasses and into each other beverages.

“Ah, gross, Ted!” Kanji cried as he retraced his arm speedily. His bare skin was dripping with a translucent liquid that had splashed over the edge from Teddie’s large goblet.

“It’s just pink lemonade,” Teddie objected with a pout. “It’s not my fault you sat in the splash zone. You shouldn’t be so mean, Kanji.”

“ _You_ shouldn’t be so messy!” he clapped back with his signature ferocity. Even with his natural black hair and bookish reading glasses, Kanji still gave off a hotheaded aura. He could don his brutish persona without a problem when provoked by others. Teddie seemed to be the most repeatable offender. Even with almost a decade passing since their days slaying Shadows and cramming for exams, some things hadn’t changed.

“Hey, you two,” Yosuke chided firmly from across the table. “Cool it, will ya?”

Another thing that hadn’t changed over time was Yosuke’s ability to keep the chaotic group of friends on-track. At least, as on-track as feasibly possible.

Yu extended a fat stack of napkins to Kanji, who gratefully accepted it. Even though they were all in their mid-twenties now, it was clear Yu was still one of Kanji’s most idolized peers. He accepted the offering with a humble thanks, and just like always, conversation resumed naturally between the group members.

Easy come, easy go.

“Oooh, shall we get a round of cocktails?” Rise asked as she polished off a glass of water. Everyone in the group had received one alongside their entrees. “Again, this is my treat, so everyone please help yourselves!”

Before another cheer could erupt from the table, a familiar voice chimed up from behind the restaurant’s small bar space.

“Um, we’re actually out of lemon soda,” Aika told the group from behind the counter. Compared to her usual deadpan tone, the restaurateur sounded somewhat timid at the confession that Aiya’s, infamously known for their speedy service and ability to deliver literally anywhere, had run out of something.

In Yu’s opinion, that was perfectly fair. It was a weeknight and cocktails weren’t the restaurant’s specialty. It made sense that they didn’t have an endless supply.

Before the silver-haired leader could say anything, a voice from behind him rose about the sounds of acquiescence.

“Hey, isn’t there a vending machine around the corner?” Yosuke chimed in. When Aika nodded, he reached for his wallet and rose out of his seat.

“Oh, please don’t trouble yourself,” she instantly countered. “You’re a customer, after all. Please, allow me to…”

“No way,” Yosuke replied with a wave of the hand. For good measure, he also tossed her his signature, pretty boy wink. “You’ve got a restaurant to run. You’re busy too, so I’ll grab extra just in case some other customers come in and want some.”

Aika didn’t look convinced. “But…”

“No buts. I’ll be right back,” Yosuke promised with a grin. This time, the young woman begrudgingly agreed and thanked him for this thoughtfulness.

As he leaned over to squeeze past Yu, he threw his boyfriend a light smile and bent down to whisper a confession that only his partner was privy to.

“Besides, it gives me a chance to enjoy some peace and quiet,” he whispered giddily.

Yu chuckled in response as his boyfriend exited the booth.

Even group mediators needed a break every once and a while. Of all people, Yu was someone who knew how true that was.

“Do you need a light?” Yu asked him as he shifted out of his seat. He noticed that Yosuke had grabbed his wallet but had left his phone behind on the table. No doubt he didn’t want to juggle too many items if he was going to carry back bottles of soda.

“Aw, sheesh,” Rise gushed as her raspberry-lips curved into a radiant smile. “That’s so sweet! You’re the best, Yosuke.”

“Do you need any help?” Yukiko followed-up curiously. “It may be heavy for you to carry…”

“Nah,” Yosuke said as he slipped out the door. “I’ll be fine! It’s light enough, and the walk should be pretty short. Just send the search dogs if I don’t come back soon, yeah?”

Yu bit his lip to hide a smile. The rest of the group, including Aika, sent him off with a wave of appreciative applause.

With a light chime and a whoosh of air, the door shut and the twenty-five-year-old was ousted into the night.

The entire world shifted the second Yosuke stepped out into the night. Stuffy hotness became balmy coolness. Chaotic noise quelled to silence that was only occasionally penetrated by the rumble of a nearby car or the cry of a cicada. It was so different from how things were in Tokyo, and Yosuke had spent many of his days in Inaba not appreciating its subtle but powerful tranquility.

He took a cleansing breath to ground himself. After all, he had a mission to accomplish.

“Right. Vending machine.”

The alleyway a few feet away seemed like the best bet to find the elusive machine. While he knew that one had been recently installed nearby due to the business district’s latest push to enhance the user-friendliness of the local shopping area, he wasn’t sure of the appliance’s physical location. In addition to the addition of conveniences like drink machines, other amenities like extra streetlights and improved sidewalks had been added since his graduation. The updates were no surprise to Yosuke, the son of a megastore tycoon. He and his family had seen the same citywide improvements over and over again if every city the family transferred to in order to boost the local Junes presence.

It was nice, in his opinion. Anything that encourages residents to feel more comfortable with shopping at local stores was good progress.

As Yosuke approached the darkened alley, a faint but definite buzzing sound crept into his sensory threshold just enough to grab his attention. As he proceeded forward into the narrow crevice, a recognizable glow came into view. The blueish light perfectly illuminated the opposite wall, which was remarkably bare of tags or amateur graffiti. That bareness was another difference from Tokyo that had gone previously unappreciated by Yosuke.

“Found you,” Yosuke told the object with a light smile. “Eh, but you weren’t really hiding, were ya?”

The vending machine didn’t reciprocate Yosuke’s jest, but it didn’t scoff either.

As he went to unfold his wallet and pool the proper amount of bills and change for his purchase, the humming of the vending machine was briefly interrupted by the sound of crunching footsteps a few feet away.

Yosuke turned in the direction of the noise, but even with the light from the vending machine, he still had to squint in the dark. He could barely make out the muddy outline of three rotund shadows nearby.

“Hey!” one of the men called to Yosuke. His voice was like a strident gunshot compared to the other silent nightscape. The echo alone was enough to send the birds that had previously settled in the nearby trees to sleep scattering frantically. “You there. Are you a friend of Risette’s?”

Yosuke shifted his gaze across each of the three figures. Instead of responding verbally, he slowly plunked change into the vending machine.

“Why?” he asked the voice in return. “Were you spying on us or something?”

“Didn’t need too,” he cackled. “It’s pretty big news when a big idol like Risette comes to town. One might say it’s kind of hard to keep it a secret.”

“Evidently so,” Yosuke replied with a little more bite than what was probably safe or wise.

A laugh slithered through the darkness like an eel in a swamp.

“Hey, do me a favor and call her over, will you?” the ominous man suggested, feigning reasonability and failing. The man’s group of friends nearby, as middle-aged and creepy as he was, chuckled grossly in the safety of the darkness.

Yosuke felt his skin crawl but didn’t let the fear show as he continued to pump coins into the machine. After all, in the light of the apparatus, he was aware they could most likely his every action and facial expression. He also knew he was the one at a definite disadvantage.

“Yeah, I don’t think so, man,” Yosuke said as he refocused his eyes on the change receptacle. “Rise is my friend, and her business is her business, but I’m not interested in giving you a helping hand in your venture for…whatever the hell you’re hoping to accomplish.”

The reply didn’t satisfy the pesky stranger.

“Suit yourself,” the man cackled. “You guys can’t be in there all night, can you? It’s okay. We’ll wait until you guys all leave to introduce ourselves.”

That admission didn’t sit well with Yosuke either. If it hadn’t been for the fact that he’d left his phone back at the restaurant table with the others, he would have called the police outright.

“Kind of think of it, it looked like you have quite a few lovely ladies in your party,” the man teased. “If Risette doesn’t want to party, maybe she’d agree if we…coerced her friends.”

Yosuke’s hands tensed into clammy fists.

“Stop sniffing around my friends,” said Yosuke with a glare. In place of his usual amicable tone was a hard edge that left no room for argument.

“Woof, I’m afraid I can’t,” the brute said before licking his lips in a vulgar manner. “See, I’m like a dog with bone. I _know_ what I want.”

That was it.

“Yeah?” Yosuke asked. He pushed back from his position at the machine and began to strut toward the group. “If that’s the case, you’re about to be a dog with a fist up its ass _._ ”

* * *

 Back inside the restaurant, the missing link in their group was drumming up concern and worry from the others.

“Hasn’t Yosuke been gone for a while?” Yukiko asked as she slipped a bite into her mouth while casting a glance outside. “I thought the vending machine was just around the corner. Shouldn’t he be back by now?”

"Kinda seems like it, yeah," Kanji agreed. "Maybe he's just buying a lot of soda or somethin'?"

Chie sat back in her seat and crossed her arms. "Maybe, but its pretty dark out there. He didn't take his phone either, right?"

Yu had also noticed Yosuke’s prolonged absence but hadn’t said anything. After all, his partner had confided secretly in him that it would be a relief to get some fresh air and quiet outside. Yu had expected that he’d take a little extra time outside as a result, which would have probably delayed his return by only a couple minutes or so.

Much more than just a few minutes had passed since Yosuke’s departure, and even he was starting to worry. His concern was only heightened by the fact that enough time had passed for the others in the group to start taking notice.

“Should we take a look and see what’s keeping him?” Naoto posed casually as she started to rise from her seat.

“Good idea,” Yu agreed, on his feet quickly. “I’ll go with you.”

 Just as Naoto and Yu went to exit the restaurant, the door opened before them with a weak chime.

Standing in the doorway was Yosuke with one arm cradling a variety of sodas and the other hand nursing a nosebleed. Thin streams of blood oozed between his fingers, and when he lowered his hand slightly to greet his friends, he revealed that one of his cheeks had ballooned to at least twice its regular size.

“Uh, hey guys,” he said, hissing with pain as his hand shifted against the swollen contours of his face. Closer inspection revealed that his injured cheek was outlined with a rim of broken blood vessels and that a purplish tint had already begun to bloom from his jawline all the way to his nose.

The entire group gasped in evident horror. The group was stunned silent by the sight. All except one.

_“Yosuke!”_ cried Yu in horror, his face going white at the sight.

* * *

The series of events leading up to the confrontation was recounted multiple times. First to the rest of the Investigation Team inside the restaurant. Then to the police officers that promised to file a report, at Rise’s insistence.

Finally, he recounted the story a third time to the members of the Dojima residence.

“Damn, you actually said that to him?” Ryotaro asked from his signature spot on the living room sofa. “Gotta say Hanamura, I’m impressed.”

_“Uncle!”_ Yu hissed in disagreement as he cleaned the cuts on his boyfriend's face with an alcohol-drenched cotton pad. In his mind, there was nothing impressive about how Yosuke was sitting next to him with a bleeding nose and swollen cheek after getting in an alleyway fight with a gaggle of middle-aged perverts. He was just thankful that nothing appeared to be broken and that no stiches seemed necessary. He would concede to that one aspect of the situation as favorable.

“What did you do after that?” Nanako asked with wide-eyed concern as she watched her big brother clean some open scraped on Yosuke’s face with alcohol. While Dojima was seated at the sofa, the other three were gathered at the kotatsu in the living room of the Dojima household. Any time Yu and Yosuke came back to Inaba for extended stays, they were always welcomed back into the home with open arms.

While Yu was practically beside himself with worry, Yosuke was as animated as usual. All the bouts with dangerous Shadows had hardened him more than Yu ever realized.

“Well, I walked toward him with the intent to spook him at first,” he confessed. “I figured he’d back off if I was confrontational enough, you know? But it was dark, so I had a hard time seeing. By the time I got close, _WHAM!_ That jerk punched me square across my handsome face. I saw some serious stars there for a sec.”

“Woah!” she gasped, her shock and awe obvious. Even Dojima looked like he was enjoying the tale immensely, much to Yu's chagrin. 

Yosuke spoke with all the fervor of a professional storyteller and had evidently hooked both Ryotaro and Nanako into the tale. While Yu had heard the story two times, it was a brand-new story for the police chief and his preteen daughter.

“Then what?” Nanako asked. Her whole body jerked forward in anticipation.

In response to her question, Yosuke’s passion quelled for the conclusion of the story.

“After that, he saw that I was still standing and backed off,” Yosuke told her. “I think he was freaked out that I could take it. But one of his friends must have thought he could still get a good hit. So, when he came at me, I clocked him before he could get close enough.”

Nanako blinked slowly. Her eyes were as wide and dark and boba pearls. “Then?”

“Then the three of them ran off with their tails between their legs,” Yosuke concluded simply. “It’s not the most exciting story, but man, it felt like a horror movie at the time.”

Yu’s deft fingers faltered at reaching for another bandage for his boyfriend’s face. While he had seen his friends take hits on the battlefield before, there was an extra layer of terror that came from the fact that it had happened to Yosuke in the real world. The entire incident had occurred so nearby, but nobody had known.

If things had gone even slightly differently, it was possible that Yosuke would be in far worse shape. The mere thought made Yu bite the inside of his cheek hard enough to taste iron.

“Were you scared?” Nanako asked innocently.

This time, Yosuke guffawed loudly.

“Um, heck yes!” he exclaimed, then winced in pain at the way his outburst changed his expression just enough to aggravate his injuries. “I was freaking terrified!”

This time, Yu was the one to pose a question.

“Then why didn’t you run?”

His two steely eyes with pinpricks of intensity as he looked up from the medical kit he was using to clean Yosuke’s cuts. While staring into his boyfriend’s eyes, he continued with a brittle voice, “Why did you stay if you were so scared? You could have run or called for help. You could have…”

His brain ran through all the other possible outcomes that could have been. Like what would have happened if the men hadn’t run away and decided to fight back. Or, what would have happened if Yosuke had been knocked out and left unconscious in the dark alleyway.

Graphic and horrifying hypotheticals whirled through Yu’s head like debris inside a twister.

When Yu’s voice fell completely silent, a sudden warmth and tight squeeze of his hand pull him back into reality. Upon glancing upward to reconnect their gazes, Yu saw that Yosuke was staring back at him solidly. Despite his injuries, he still looked as strong and sunny as he usually did.

Not even bruises and bandages could dull his sun-like radiance.

“Hey, I could have done a lot of things,” Yosuke admitted as he laced their fingers and squeezed Yu’s palm tightly in a pulsing rhythm that pushed their palms together fully. The motion made a familiar heat arc between their bodies. “I just acted before I could really think about it. I knew what I had to do, and even though it was hella scary, there wasn't really an alternative that popped into my head. I mean, when it comes to protecting your best friends, I kind of don’t believe in compromises.”

Yosuke attempted to flash a smile to his best friend with his swollen cheek. The result was a lopsided grin that made Yu’s heart swell with even more adoration than before. Silver eyes became molten with wetness at the endearing sight.

It was at that moment that Dojima rose from his position on the sofa and gave Nanako a light tap on the shoulder. She needed no explanation and only nodded to her dad in silent agreement. The two gently rose from their seat and began to gently pad to their rooms.

“Well, you two can keep talking,” Dojima urged casually. “I’ll keep you guys posted about the case after I touch base with the other officers tomorrow morning. In the meantime, you crazy kids shouldn’t stay up too late. Be sure to get some rest.”

Nanako agreed with a curt nod.

“Don’t keep Yosuke up too late,” she teased lightly as she mounted the stairs to her room. “Okay, big bro?”

The little jab earned a chuckle from both Yu and Yosuke.

As soon as Dojima’s bedroom door clicked shut and Nanako’s light flickered off, Yosuke turned to face Yu slowly. Unlike before, his expression became eclipsed with a sudden shadow of guilt. He looked like a cat that had been caught with a canary. 

“You’re mad at me, aren’t you?” he asked lowly. He swiveled atop his cushion so he could look his partner directly in the eyes. All the while, the couple’s hands remained tightly yet tenderly entangled.

“Yu, I’m so sorry if I—”

“No, don’t apologize,” Yu countered quickly. Before speaking again, he took a deep breath to steady his voice. The tumultuous emotions of the evening had rendered him even more reticent than usual.

“Please, Yosuke…I am mad, but I’m not mad at you,” he tried to clarify. However, he ended up wincing at how the words tumbled out of his mouth so unceremoniously. “How do I put this? I’m mad at…everything else.”

Yosuke made a soft noise somewhere between a gasp and a whimper. “Partner…”

Yu continued unhindered, “I’m mad about the situation, I’m mad that those cowards cornered you with a disgusting ultimatum, and I’m absolutely furious that those assholes hurt you and wanted to hurt Rise and our friends!”

As he ranted, the tone of his voice dipped from a wavering warble to a more protective growl.

Despite the serious change in tone, Yosuke couldn’t resist snorting at Yu’s admission. His partner hardly ever swore, even when he was alone with friends or peers. It was an old habit from having Nanako nearby during high school. When he did let a curse slip, friends and family knew it was usually a sign of serious business.

Rather than trying to downplay the already stressful situation, Yosuke immediately knew what to do to diffuse his partner’s tension.

He scooted closer to Yu until their thighs and knees touched. Before Yu could say anything, Yosuke lifted their fused hands to his lips and placed a kiss on his knuckles. The princely gesture made Yu flush a shade of unusually deep mauve.

“Yeah, I’m kind of pissed that they got away too, actually,” he admitted with a chuckle, continuing to squeeze Yu’s hand comfortingly. Each little pulse fused their hands more and more until their joined hands were practically bouncing between them. “I was ready to run after them if they tried to go into the restaurant though. I made sure they were long gone before I came back.”

Yu’s frown deepened as he reached up to rap his knuckles playfully on Yosuke’s forehead, all while being extra careful to avoid any potentially sore areas. “You were amazingly brave, but also insanely reckless.”

The playful reprimand gave Yosuke a little charge.

“Yeah?” he challenged in turn as he pushed his head against his partner’s hand like a feline in need of attention. Yu was more than happy to flatten his palm and tousle Yosuke’s hair. “Well, what would you have done if they’d run into you instead?”

He mused lightly over the question.

“You mean after what they did to you and what they said about our friends?” Yu asked for clarification. When Yosuke nodded, his reply came swiftly. “They wouldn’t have had any legs to run on.”

Yosuke pursed his lips to smother a loud cackle that threatened to escape him.

“That’s my partner, alright!” said Yosuke as he leaned in to place a kiss on the corner of Yu’s mouth. “A total badass.”

At the last second, Yu turned his head just enough to catch Yosuke’s lips and mold their mouths together in a chaste but full kiss. Their heads angled and their noses bumped during each butterfly touch, each one longer and more insistent than the last. At one point, Yu dipped his head to kiss Yosuke’s uninjured cheek and ended up catching the side of his chin instead. After having a laugh at the adorably clumsy falter, the two immediately sank back into another long kiss after entangling their arms around each other.

There, awash in the glow of a single lightbulb in the nearby kitchen, the two spent a dozen more moments and at least a hundred more kisses. Seconds melted into minutes in each other’s arms, with the world continuing its usual course around them while they remained perfectly encapsulated in the universe they found in each other’s embrace.

A universe created by best friends with a bond stronger than the passage of time.

The duo parted for air and stared into each other’s eyes. Smoke kissed fire, and an inferno was almost rekindled.

“You’re one to talk,” Yu finally replied, lips barely an inch away before their mouths met again in another flicker of heat that threatened to turn into a smoldering inferno if they lingered. “You’re the only badass here, partner.”

This time, Yosuke only chuckled in reply, but the coral tinge to his cheeks hardly went unnoticed. “Okay, you’re embarrassing me, dude. Knock it off, or we're gonna have a hard time explaining things to your uncle if he comes out here and catches us...”

Even if it had been unintentional, Yosuke had made an excellent point. Considering the fact that his partner's face was still bruised and that the two weren’t alone in the house together, it wouldn’t be the best idea for multiple parties if they continued in their canoodling. To stifle further romantic escapades, Yu decided to shift their bodies so that they could sit next to each other at the kotatsu. Yosuke happily obliged and tucked his legs under the quilted blanket before leaning his head on Yu's shoulder. Within moments, his breathing had calmed significantly. All the while, Yu began to pack up the first-aid kit he'd used earlier to patch up his injuries.

A few seconds of silence passed before Yosuke spoke up again.

 “…Hey, Yu?” Yosuke asked, cracking an eye open as they continued to snuggle close for comfort. “Can I ask you something?”

“You can ask me anything,” Yu replied without hesitation. He leaned even further into his boyfriend’s warmth. “What is it, partner?”

Their closeness made it easy for Yu to feel the shiver toast rocketed through Yosuke’s body. A satisfied grin rose to his face.

“Admit it, if you'd been in that situation instead of me, you would have done the same thing for any of us,” Yosuke asked, sighing in content as his face reconnected with the comfort of Yu’s shoulder. “Right?”

In response to Yosuke’s question, the silver-haired man only loosened an arm so he could wrap it protectively around his partner’s shoulders. He hauled Yosuke’s body close to his heart.

“I would have,” Yu answered softly. He then bent down to drop a soft kiss on Yosuke’s crown. “After all, when it comes to best friends and partners, we don’t make compromises.”

**Author's Note:**

> Did I make an MK11, Kano, and Johnny Cage reference in this fic on purpose? Um, absolutely. When it comes to Mortal Kombat, any reference is always intentional.
> 
> Happy SouyoWeek 2019!


End file.
